Ling Yang-gang: What instructions
does the Venerable Master have for Taiwan's current situation?

Venerable Master: Communist
policies change by the moment. You cannot trust them. Many people from Hong Kong
go to China to invest. They gain some profit at the start, but after a while,
they go bankrupt. The Communists will not do anything by which they do not reap
some gain. Investors in China walk into their trap quite willingly. You should
remind people in Taiwan to never go and do business in China.

Ling Yang-gang: The last time the
Venerable Master talked to me, you mentioned the Confucian idea of "when one is
established, one can help others become established; when one understands, one
can help others understand." This makes a lot of sense. Hurting others and
helping ourselves only create contention.

Venerable Master: Right! That is
the source of contention. Those who are in higher positions ought to be
considerate and treat others as they would themselves. They must make sure that
citizens live in peace and harmony. It would be an inauspicious omen for the
world if even a little country like Taiwan cannot be governed well, to the
extent that people are obsessed with getting rich and will use any means to that
end. Contemporary Taiwan is like China during the Southern Song Dynasty. Having
to flee, the then rulers sought refuge by moving the capitol to a small place.
There, everyone fought over power and money. People like Wumu Yue were actually
killed. "The future of the nation would be glorious if there were good people of
worth there." If you kill all the loyal officials and good people, then the
nation will be endangered.

In governing the nation we must receive
our lessons from history. Times of order and leadership that treated its
citizens the way is treats itself were eras that thrived. Since the Communists
won China through manipulation, it will definitely experience internal chaos in
the future. "People must humiliate themselves before others will humiliate
them."